The First Anniversary
by Fleeting Feenix
Summary: Misaki and Takumi have been married for a year, so it's time for their anniversary! Misaki's busy with work in NYC, so Takumi decides to fly in from England to surprise her with a full day of fun. How will she respond to all this special treatment?
1. Chapter 1

Just a lighthearted cute lil story! Only rated T because I think I used some bad language and also there's references to intimacy hehehe :3

(This is like my own little continuation of the manga, so spoilers I guess)

Disclaimer: I don't own Maid-sama

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Day Begins!**

"Thank god it's 5pm." Misaki muttered, checking her phone. "I don't think I could have spent anther minute with that idiot."

She was still pissed off as she quickly walked out of the towering building.

"That guy just can't compromise, huh? So stubborn," she muttered to herself, hailing a cab. So far, she hadn't been enjoying her time in New York City, since it had been full of nothing but long meetings and difficult people. She was looking forward to being able to relax for the night, since she had just finished work for the day. After the cab pulled up to the hotel she got out and went up to her room, trying to forget about that horrible meeting she had just finished. Upon reaching her room, she turned the key and entered, locking the door behind her. She slipped off her heels and left her bag on the table next to her.

"Nice seeing you here, Madame Diplomat" a voice called from the other end of the room. She whipped around, recognizing the voice instantly.

"TAKUMI!" Misaki yelled.

"Happy to see me?" He questioned suggestively.

"N-no! How the hell did you get in the room? I have the key!" Misaki stammered angrily.

"Relax, I told the lady in the lobby I wanted to surprise you, so she let me in." Takumi explained. "This isn't the welcome I expected though, Misaki."

"Then don't scare me like that idiot-" Misaki started before letting out a long sigh. "Ah... sorry, I'm a bit worked up because my last meeting wasn't going well. That crazy Russian diplomat just kept interrupting me and wouldn't listen to what I had to say! But, I am that glad you're here... I missed you" she continued, her anger quickly fading as a smile grew across her face.

Takumi grinned. "I missed you too, that's why I flew over. I just couldn't stand to be without you another day."

He got up from the bed where he had been sitting, walked over to his wife, and placed his hands delicately on her cheeks as he kissed her. What began as a sweet and innocent kiss soon became more passionate and intense. Misaki hadn't had such intimate contact in weeks, and she quickly realized just how lonely she had been without Takumi around. Running her hands through his hair, she could feel her face getting redder as she leaned in hungrily. Even after being together for years, the love they had for each other hadn't died down at all. In fact, it had only become stronger, since most of the uncertainty and awkwardness from their high school years was gone. When she was a teenager, Misaki had been afraid to admit her feelings to herself but now, she knew she really loved him.

"Wow, you really missed me didn't you?" Takumi said smirking when they finally pulled apart.

"Is there anything important you needed to tell me, Takumi?" Misaki questioned, ignoring his comment. "Even for you, it's strange to fly here all the way from England just to see me."

"Hmm? Assuming I need some big reason to want to see my wife when I'm lonely? How ignorant of you," Takumi chuckled as he watched Misaki frown. "However, a very important date is coming up and I wanted to be here when it happened."

"What's coming up?" Misaki asked, slightly annoyed because of the 'ignorant' comment.

"Really, Misaki-chan? Have you completely forgotten? It's our anniversary. Tomorrow, we will have been married for exactly one year," Takumi said, smiling.

"Huh? Oh right...that," replied Misaki, blushing. A little smile crept onto her face, to which Takumi responded with more kisses.

* * *

"Well maybe we should go out for dinner or something? What do you want?" Misaki asked.

"Don't worry, I've already gotten some groceries, they're in the kitchen. Let's make dinner together," replied Takumi. "I want to see how much your cooking skills have improved since we last made dinner."

"Why are you bringing that up, you dummy?! How many times did I apologize for almost cutting your hand off?" Misaki exclaimed. "Besides... I've been ordering food everyday here, so I don't think I've gotten any better."

"Well then you can wash the vegetables, and I'll do all the actual preparation. We're having salad tonight, so it shouldn't be too hard."

Deciding that arguing would do no good, Misaki agreed. As they prepared dinner, they caught each other up on what had been going on in their lives. Misaki told Takumi about her busy schedule full of meetings and conferences, and he told her that things back in England were pretty uneventful.

"The castle has been very boring lately. Especially without my Misaki around." He flashed a smile at his wife.

"So how long are you planning on staying?" She asked, bringing the bowl of salad to the table as Takumi brought over the plates and utensils.

"Well I was hoping to stay with you until the end of your conference. Then we could fly back to England together!" Takumi proposed.

"But what about back home? Doesn't the castle need its Doctor?" Misaki asked, brushing her hand across his cheek.

"I told you, nothing interesting is happening there. Everything's fine, and if they really have some emergency I'll fly back over. Nothing to worry about."

"Good. So I get more time with you," Misaki said shyly, turning away as she tried to suppress a grin.

"Hmm, looks like you're done eating?" Takumi questioned, getting up.

"Yeah just about fin-" Misaki began, but her words were stopped when Takumi pressed his lips to hers.

"Geez, Takumi! Let's at least clean up first" said Misaki, though she showed no sign of wanting to stop as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Clean up can wait," he replied, picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. "I really missed you, Misaki," he said in between kisses.

"I missed you too, Takumi."

* * *

Misaki woke up to the sun shining on her face and the noises of the city coming in through the open window.

 _It's already light outside?_ Misaki wondered, _what time is it?_ She reached over to the bedside table, eyes still blurry from having just woken up, and checked the time on her phone. _7:23 am. Wait, 7:23?!_

Misaki gasped. Her first meeting for the day started in seven minutes! Plus, she knew it took at least five to get to the conference hall, and that didn't include getting out of bed, getting dressed, and grabbing something to eat. "Shoot" she muttered to herself angrily as she sat up, "Haruto isn't going to appreciate me showing up late! How did I let myself sleep in? Didn't I set an alarm?"

Suddenly, she remembered what had happened the night before. She hadn't had time to set an alarm because Takumi had surprised her...

"That idiot is going to make me late! TAKUMI, WHERE ARE YOU?" she growled loudly, though no response came. "...Takumi?" she ventured again, this time softer. There was no one in the room.

"Am I imagining things? Was he even here?" She said to herself, thoroughly confused. She glanced to the other side of the bed, and saw the covers pulled down and a slight imprint in the mattress. "No, he was definitely here," she concluded.

 _The dishes from yesterday!_ She thought to herself, remembering they hadn't cleaned up before getting into bed. She got out of bed and walked over to where they had eaten last night, and saw that any evidence that there had been a meal there was gone. Suddenly she remembered- the time! She ran back to her phone- 7:28. Shit. She was going to be very late.

"Of course it's Takumi's fault, of course he would be the one to make me late," she grumbled to herself as she walked over to the closet. "I don't even know where he went, but that's not important right now. What's important is the fact that I'm going to make a fool of myself walking in late to my meeting!" She reached to open the closet door, and was surprised to see all her clothes had been removed, save for a single outfit, one she had never seen before. On its hanger she found a note, which read: _put on your new clothes and meet me outside the room. Hope you enjoy ;)_

"Damn it, Takumi!" she exclaimed. " Now is not the time for this, I'm late to a meeting!" She grabbed her phone. "7:30. Well, I'm officially late. Thanks a lot, idiot Usui."

Since there was nothing else to wear, she put on what Takumi had given her. There was a sleeveless forest green blouse, and a pair of black shorts. It was nothing too fancy, although the overall outfit, when paired with a set of rose gold pearl earrings and a matching bracelet, looked quite elegant. "It's a nice outfit" she decided, examining her reflection in the full length mirror opposite the door. "... But what is he up to? I'm still going to be late to my meeting! He probably didn't realize I had work today."

She flung her bag over her shoulder and slipped her feet into some simple back flats. Realizing there was not even enough time to make toast, she decided she'd stop in a cafe later. So, she unlocked the door and stepped outside.

"There's my queen! Do you know how long I have been waiting for you, my love?" A smile stretched across the face of none other than Usui Takumi as he spoke those words.

"What's the meaning of all this?" Misaki asked, annoyed. She then gasped slightly, fully taking in the sight before her. He was in a clean white button down, khaki shorts, and held a bouquet of white roses in one hand. With the other, he took his wife's hand gently and pressed his lips to it. Then, he interlaced his fingers with hers and began walking. "Follow me and you'll find out," he said ambiguously.

Speechless, Misaki followed her husband to the elevator. When they got in, and they were the only ones inside, Takumi handed her the bouquet. "Happy anniversary, Misaki," he said, giving her a light peck on the cheek.

Misaki couldn't help blushing as she accepted the roses. "This... this is really sweet honey. But I have meetings today. Couldn't you have checked with me first to see if my schedule was open?"

"I know how important your work is to you. However, I called your coworker Haruto yesterday before you got to the apartment. I told him that this was a very special day for us, and he told me he could excuse you from your meetings for today. You don't need to worry, Misaki, the other Japanese diplomats will still be at the meetings, and they will be fine," Takumi explained.

 _God,_ Misaki thought to herself, not wanting to admit that she was impressed, _he had this all planned out. Typical Takumi._

"So...now what?" She questioned, assuming he had the rest of the day planned as well.

"Well first on the list is breakfast" said Takumi, leading her out of the elevator as it reached the lobby. As the two walked out to the front exit, Misaki could see people in the lobby glancing at them subtly. It couldn't have been their clothes; they fit in with the atmosphere of the upscale hotel. Perhaps it was the giant bouquet of flowers. Yes, it was definitely the flowers. They were, admittedly, gorgeous.

"Takumi, people keep looking at us" Misaki whispered in her husband's ear, embarrassed. "Why did you have to buy me the biggest bouquet anyone's ever seen?"

"Well we ought to give them something worth staring at besides those silly roses, huh?" he asked. Before she could ask him what hemeant, he stopped walking, and in one swift movement, leaned back his wife and brought his lips to hers. Misaki felt her cheeks flush as she wrapped her hands rapidly around Takumi's neck. When he brought her back to a standing position and began walking again, he whispered "I hope they all enjoyed that as much as we did."

"What do you mean we?" his wife hissed, embarrassed at everyone staring. He knew she had always been embarrassed by PDA. While before the looks had been subtle, the people in the lobby were now undoubtedly and openly staring.

"I know you enjoyed that Misaki. You had your hands all over me" he whispered in her ear suggestively. "Just like you did last night."

"D-Don't bring up something like that in public!" She stammered. "Besides, I put my arms around your neck reflexively! I thought I was going to fall!" She knew he would never accept that, even though it was the truth.

"I'm sure" he said sarcastically, keeping his voice low as they got to the lobby's exit. The two walked outside and were greeted by the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple's busy streets. Takumi led his wife over to a sleek black car where the door was already open.

 _So he planned all the transportation today too, huh?_ Misaki thought to herself as she entered the car, followed by her husband. "I suppose I shouldn't ask where we're headed, because you aren't going to tell me" she said, more as a statement than and actual question.

"You know me," Takumi said, kissing her once again, this time just a light peck followed by a chuckle.

* * *

After a little while, the car came to a stop as it pulled over in front of an fancy cafe. The chauffeur got out and opened the door for Misaki and Takumi to exit.

"You can leave the roses in the car if you want, it'll be back after breakfast" Takumi told Misaki, taking her hand and leading her into the cafe in front of them.

"Name?" Asked the man standing at the booth inside the cafe.

"Usui."

"Follow me, please" the man responded politely.

The were led to a round mahogany table by a window. As soon as the two sat down, a waiter arrived with a plate of croissants. "Your main course will be here shortly" the waiter said before leaving.

"Main course? For breakfast? Am I at least going to order or something?" Misaki questioned.

"Our food has already been ordered and paid for, you don't need to worry at all. I picked something I know you'll like" Takumi replied, spreading butter on a croissant.

"This is all amazing honey, really" Misaki said with sincerity. "But now I feel bad. I don't have anything for you for our anniversary..." she said disappointingly.

"I don't expect anything from you, Misaki. Just having you here with me is the only present I need" Takumi said, smiling. "You're always going somewhere new, and I feel like we don't get to spend enough time with each other."

"Well if you want to hear some good news" Misaki said, between bites "my next conference will be in London! That means we can be together for at least 2 months."

"That's great" Takumi said, lovingly.

When they finished eating, the two got up and made their way back to the car. "I wonder what's next on Takumi's anniversary day list" Misaki said jokingly, interlacing her fingers with his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

The car continued on for quite some time, and when it started to slow down, Misaki figured out their next destination.

"Takumi...are we going to an amusement park?" she questioned skeptically.

"Looks like you guessed it" he said.

"I haven't been to one of these in years" she said. "The last one was on that double date with Sakura and Kuuga, and that was maybe 8 years ago! I mean, aren't they for kids?"

"Aww you're no fun. What do you mean 'aren't they for kids'?"

"I mean we're 29 now, and 29 year olds don't go to amusement parks often."

"Come on, Misaki" Takumi said, getting out of the car once it had come to a stop. Pulling her out, he continued "don't you at least want to feel like a kid again? You're always focused on your work, but sometimes you just need time to relax. Remember when we first went to an amusement park together? That was one of the best days of my life, and I hope it was the same for you."

Misaki could feel the memories coming back, of that Christmas 12 years ago. "Of course I remember" she said, blushing. "That was the day you asked me to be your girlfriend" she recalled, turning her head down as a smile grew across her face.

"Then let's just enjoy today" said Takumi, taking her hand and heading towards the park.

"...Okay" Misaki agreed, smiling.

* * *

Misaki couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard, or smiled so much till her cheeks hurt. At first, she had been somewhat embarrassed when they entered the amusement park and were surrounded by groups of children. However, the adrenaline kicked in on the first roller coaster. From that point on, she decided she didn't care that she was older than a lot of the people there. In fact, she even saw a lot of couples who looked older than her and Takumi! But all that mattered was that she was enjoying herself with the man she loved.

"Wow, it feels like we're back in high school, huh? Just like old times" Misaki giggled, sitting on a bench next to Takumi and eating ice cream. She was wiping back tears from laughing so much; they were reminiscing on the way they had been stalked in that amusement park 12 years ago.

"If you really want it to be like old times you could call me master and I could tease you some more" Takumi said, licking Misaki's ice cream cone and sporting a grin.

"As if you ever stopped teasing me!" Misaki exclaimed, pushing him away playfully for continuing to eat her ice cream instead of his own.

"It's just my specialty" he retorted, leaning in for a kiss. Misaki sighed, but accepted the kiss.

"How about we go on one more ride, then we call it a day?" Takumi asked. "It's almost 6."

"Huh! The day went by so quickly..." Misaki mused.

They decided to get in line for the biggest roller coaster of the park, which they hadn't gone on yet due to the long line. When they got off the ride, out of breath and slightly dizzy, they exited the park and found the black car waiting for them.

"This has been a really fun day, Takumi. Thanks for helping me enjoy myself, I was so caught up in my work on this trip but you really helped bring me out of my bad mood" Misaki smiled, kissing her husband.

"The day's not over yet, sweetheart" Takumi grinned, lifting her chin gently as he kissed back.

"Is there more?" she asked innocently between kisses.

"We'll just have to wait and see" he replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Night at the MET**

It was already getting dark out when the car pulled up to the stairs at the bottom of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was all lit up and had a steady flow of formally dressed men and women going in through the entrance.

"Is this where we're stopping? The MET?" Misaki asked, awestruck at how beautiful the building looked against the night sky.

"I know how much you like museums" Takumi said, grinning as he exited the car and helped his wife out.

It was true, Misaki did love museums. She just thought there was just something so peaceful about observing creations that had taken so much time and effort, some of them from hundreds of years ago. They were also a place she could go to relax; the serenity of the simple environment could always calm her down if she was heated, especially after a meeting.

"It looks like there's some formal event going on in there" Misaki observed as she got out of the car. "And we're hardly dressed fancy enough if this is what we're really doing."

"I told you, Misaki, that today you didn't need to worry. I have it all under control" Takumi said, leading her around to the side of the museum. He knocked on a side door and Misaki was thoroughly perplexed; even more so when a man in black opened the door and asked them to follow him. The man led them to a small hallway with a few doors on both sides. He asked Misaki to go in one room, and directed Takumi to enter the one across from hers.

"Takumi, what's going on?" Misaki asked as she was pushed into her room.

"Don't worry sweetheart" Takumi assured, disappearing into his own room.

* * *

Misaki looked around the room she had been pushed into. It was a small room, but very fancy. There was a large leather sofa on one side of the room, and in front of it was a glass coffee table holding a bouquet of white roses. On the other side of the room there was an elegant vanity table with a large mirror in front of it in. Next to it was a small clothing rack with a single article of clothing, with a note attached to its hanger.

 _Enjoy outfit number 2, picked just for you,_ Misaki read from the small note. This was Takumi's doing, yet again. As she took the hanger off the rack, she discovered that it was a silky black maxi dress. After taking off the green blouse and black shorts, she slipped on the dress. It had thin, delicate straps that crossed in the back. It was a simple dress otherwise, no lace or jewels or fancy cuts, just a full length of gorgeous black silk that flowed to floor length.

"Wow...it's beautiful," Misaki marveled, at a loss for a better word to describe how amazing the dress was. It fit perfectly and made her body look slender, but accentuated her curves at the same time. At the bottom of the rack she noticed a pair of black heels that went along nicely with the new dress, which she slipped on her feet as she placed her flats down.

Just as she was stepping into the heels, she heard a knock at the door. "Are you done, honey?" came a high pitched, perky voice in English. Confused, Misaki walked over and opened the door to let two foreign women enter. The first entered with a full face of makeup, bouncy golden curls, and a large pink makeup bag. The second had a short bob of purple hair and carried a curling iron. The latter seemed a lot less energetic, though still full of smiles; Misaki guessed it had been the blonde who had asked if she was done.

"Are you ready to be glammed up?" The blonde asked excitedly. "If you could just have a seat in this chair by the mirror darling- perfect! Alright we're just going to do hair and makeup, you know how that works! And don't worry, we're only giving you a light, natural look since we've heard that's what you like most!"

"As for your hair, we're just going to do some light curls and pin it into a low bun that is going to look super classy!" The lady with the purple bob said proudly.

Takumi had even gotten hair and makeup people for her- and told them exactly what she liked. _What am I going to do to make it up to him?_ she thought as the ladies began their work. _First the breakfast, then the amusement park, then this- why couldn't I have been even half as thoughtful as he is?_

She must have been visibly frowning, because the lady doing her makeup suddenly asked "problem, honey? What's on your mind?"

"Oh...it's nothing" Misaki trailed off.

"Come on now, don't give me that! Tell me what you're feeling right now and we can try to help you out. Is it work? Friend drama? Something going on with your husband- no it couldn't be that, did you see him Angie, he was gorgeous! And when he told us what hair and makeup to do? 'It will be just what she likes' he said, and he had such a cute smile- gosh he's such a catch! Oh dear, I'm rambling on aren't I?" she noticed, looking back at Misaki who was still frowning. "But seriously, darling, let us know what's troubling you."

"Well, it's actually just that" Misaki said, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up. "He's so sweet, and thoughtful, and he cares about me so much that he planned this huge day for me. But I didn't... I didn't do a single thing for him. I didn't even remember it was our anniversary, I was too busy worrying about my work! He does things like this a lot too- although this is by far the most extravagant. But he'll come up with cute little surprises a lot, like a spontaneous trip to the Bahamas for a day, or a romantic candlelit dinner that he cooked himself. He's so incredible and I'm... I'm just me" she confessed, keeping her eyes focused on the floor, too embarrassed to look up.

"Aww honey" the blonde said sympathetically. "Don't put yourself down like that! If he loves you that much, he's not going to care if you don't do such crazy things for him. He's going to care that you love him just as much, and that you're always there for him."

"Well I know he'd be fine with me not even getting him a present or something, but I really want to do something for him... To show him how much I care about him" Misaki explained. "I get him presents for his birthday and holidays, but never anything big or meaningful like this!"

"May I suggest a hot love making session once you get home? Maybe two, actually...or five" the woman with the short bob, Angie, interjected.

"Angie, my goodness!" The blonde exclaimed, laughing. "They were probably going to do that anyways" she stated matter-of-factly.

"Uh...well...yeah" Misaki stammered awkwardly, feeling her face get redder. Taking about personal stuff like that always made her uncomfortable.

"Hmm" the blonde began "what's something he asks you to do a lot? Or maybe a bad habit you have that you could try to stop for him?"

Misaki thought a bit before responding. "Well, he always tells me not to stress too much about work? I don't know what I could do with that though. Um...he always wants to see how I've improved with my cooking, but I don't know that I should cook for him. Last time we tried to make something together I almost chopped his hand off."

"Interesting. Thoughts, Kayla?" Asked Angie.

The blonde, Kayla, responded with, "well if he always tells you not to stress about work, that probably means you're busy a lot, huh?" Misaki nodded. "Well, then, take the day off tomorrow! Spend the whole day with him, he's probably lonely a lot and just wants to be with you. In fact, cook something with him! Ask him to help you, and you two could do something cute and simple, like bake cupcakes maybe?" Kayla finished, wearing a smile that showed she was proud of her idea.

"I mean, I took today off from work. I don't know about missing two days in a row-" Misaki tried to argue.

"But you told us he planned this whole extravagant day for you? Come on, it's one day! Your boss won't kill you if you tell him it's for your anniversary!" Kayla persisted.

"I guess I could... if it's just one more day" Misaki considered.

"Yes!" Kayla squealed. "It would show how much you really care, to take a day off from your important work just to be with him! How romantic! Just wear something super sexy, maybe buy some chocolates, and add in some extra hot love making- ooh and maybe some candles- and you've got a perfect gift for him!"

"Alright, our work here is done" Angie declared, smiling. As she got up out of her seat, Misaki couldn't tell if she was talking about the hair and makeup or the advice.

"Thank you both so much for your help with everything" she decided upon saying. "I'm very grateful for your assistance!"

"Aww, not a problem sweetie!" Kayla exclaimed gleefully. "You look gorgeous, and I hope you enjoy your night and your day tomorrow" she said with a wink.

"Now go on out and have fun!" Angie said, pushing her towards the door.

"There you are, my love" Takumi grinned as Misaki came out into the hallway. "You look lovely tonight."

"Thank you honey" Misaki said, grabbing his hand and interlacing her fingers with his. "And you look handsome as always." The two turned to enter the main event.

* * *

"What is this event for?" Misaki asked as they walked around, sampling delicate hor d'oeuvres.

"Not entirely sure" Takumi replied honestly. "But a couple of days ago I saw there was an event going on here and I thought it would be a great way to end our night."

"A couple of days ago? Oh." Misaki realized that must have been when he was planning their day.

"I believe it's a charity event to support local art programs, but I could be wrong" he continued, taking another hor d'oeuvre. "Try this one" he said, holding it to her mouth as she took a bite.

"How did you even get us in here?" Misaki questioned, looking around at all the fancy gowns and orchestra playing in the distance. "You didn't have to do all this, really!"

"Don't worry about it. Anything for my Misaki" Takumi grinned.

The two walked around the main hall, where most of the people and all the food was. After a while, they wandered off to a hall on Egyptian art that was a lot quieter than the main hall had been. In fact, as the two continued further into the exhibit, Misaki realized they were the only ones there.

"Takumi," Misaki began tentatively, unsure how loud to be since the hall was completely silent except for their footsteps. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, my love. Anything you'd like."

"Um...I love you" Misaki said quickly, averting her eyes from his gaze.

"I love you too" Takumi replied sweetly, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Was that what you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, I guess I really just wanted to say..." Misaki began. Then, looking directly into his eyes, she continued. "Thank you, Takumi. Thank you for this wonderful day. This is the sweetest thing you've ever done; I don't know how I could ever repay you." She felt her cheeks heat up.

"It's alright, Misaki." Takumi smiled. "You don't need to do anything for me. Just having you here with me tonight is the only present I need."

Misaki smirked. "I really like this non-perverted side of you, Takumi. You can be so sweet, you know? I was expecting you to ask me to be your maid for a day or something."

"Thanks for the suggestion" Takumi grinned. "I'll save that one for next time."

"That's not what I meant, pervert!" Misaki smacked him lightly on the arm, wondering why she had brought that idea to him. "Uh, anyways, I have to go to the bathroom really quickly."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No!" Misaki exclaimed, covering her face with one hand to try and hide her blush. She hurried quickly into the closest restroom.

Once she was inside, she took her phone out of her purse and dialed her coworker's number. Although he wasn't technically her boss, he was in charge of the Japanese representation at the convention. Nervously, she brought the phone up to her ear.

 _"Hello, Misaki."_

"Hello, Haruto. I'm sorry to be calling you this late. I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to take the day off. I really appreciate your generosity!"

 _"Not a problem! All of our meetings went smoothly today. I hope you enjoyed your special day?"_

"Yes, very much! In fact, I was wondering if perhaps..." Misaki took a deep breath. "Would it be possible for me to take off work tomorrow as well? I can work extra hours when I get back if necessary! I know I'm asking a lot, but I assure you I can make it up in any way you need."

 _"Of course, Misaki! Enjoy your anniversary! As I said, today went smoothly, so I'm sure we'll manage just fine without you here for another day. Besides, I know you rarely miss work, so you've certainly earned a day- well, two- off."_

"Thank you so much, Haruto! I promise to return to work after tomorrow!" Misaki exclaimed.

 _"No problem. I encourage you to cherish your time with your husband. He seems like a very kind man."_ The two men had met a few times before, at convention after-parties Misaki had brought Takumi to.

"Thank you." Misaki smiled. "Have a good night, Haruto."

 _"You too, Misaki."_

Misaki put her phone back into her purse and walked out of the bathroom, still smiling. She was going to make it up to Takumi tomorrow for sure!

* * *

The two spent the rest of the night, side by side, exploring the open exhibits. They hardly noticed the time passing by.

"I suppose we should leave soon" Takumi said after a while, looking up at a large clock, "it's past 10, and you should get some rest so you're not tired for work tomorrow."

"Actually" Misaki said shyly, "you don't need to worry about that. I'm taking the day off tomorrow."

"Really? I thought you'd want to get back to work soon. Besides, what will Haruto say?" Takumi questioned, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

"It's alright. I called him half an hour ago when I left to go to the bathroom, and he said it was fine. Aren't you happy? I just really wanted to spend more time with you" Misaki said, smiling.

"No, I'm very happy" Takumi grinned. "I want as much time as possible with my Misa-chan."

Misaki laughed at that. Even after all this time, her husband still called her Misa-chan every once in a while. It usually annoyed her, since it reminded her of when he would tease her at the maid cafe she used to work at in high school, but she was in an especially good mood now so she didn't let it bother her.

"But maybe we should head home soon" Misaki said. "I would really like some... alone time with you" she said, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

"Would you like a hot love making session, Misaki?" Takumi suggested, leading her outside. "Or maybe five?"

"W-what? You heard that?" Misaki yelled, blushing. "How much did you hear?" She thought back to the conversation she had had with Angie and Kayla.

"That was the only part I heard, I promise! I was going to check on you, but then I heard talk of love making, and I decided to wait outside and let you three finish."

"Takumi!" Misaki shouted, still embarrassed.

"So, is that a yes? Five love making sessions tonight?" He pried, grinning.

"Geez, Takumi, I'm not going to promise something crazy like that!" She exclaimed. "Maybe two or three" she added quietly.

"What was that, Misaki? I'm sorry, could you speak up a little?" Takumi asked.

"I-I didn't say anything!" Misaki lied, rushing over to the car as it pulled up to the curb.

"That's okay, you can just show me what you mean when we get back" Takumi whispered in her ear as they both got in the car.

"Whatever, idiot" Misaki mumbled, burying her head against his chest to hide her smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Anniversary Date Part 2?**

Misaki woke up to a dark room, with a streak of light peeking in between the curtains. She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, you're awake" Takumi said groggily, rolling over. "Good morning, love."

"Morning, Takumi" Misaki replied, then leaned over to check her phone. 8:37am. She hadn't woken up this late in weeks, but it didn't matter today, since she didn't need to go to work.

Misaki got up and went to the bathroom. _Yesterday was all him, now today's my day to make him happy_ , Misaki thought to herself as she brushed her teeth, a determined look on her face. While washing her face, she thought back to what the hair and makeup girls had advised her to do. She had been thinking about it last night at the museum, and had secretly come up with her own little plan for a part two of the anniversary celebration. Sure, her idea wasn't going to be a day full of flowers, cafes, amusement parks, and fancy museum parties, but that was her own fault for forgetting about their anniversary in the first place, giving her little time to think something up. However, she was going to see her plan through.

"Someone's tired, huh?" Misaki stated, seeing that Takumi was still lying in bed when she came out of the bathroom.

"I'm just worn out from our late-night fun" Takumi answered with a wink.

"Well, yeah, we did stay out at the museum late" Misaki responded, unaware of what her husband was insinuating. She began to flip through shirts in the closet.

"No, I was referring to what we did after that..." He began, adding a lot of emphasis.

"Wh-what?!" Misaki whipped her head around to see her husband with a wide grin on his face. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the closest. "Geez, Takumi, why do you talk about stuff like that so innocently?"

"I was only being honest" Takumi replied, getting out of bed and giving his wife a quick kiss on her forehead before heading to the bathroom.

Once he had left the room, Misaki began sifting through her clothes quickly. "How do I make my business clothes sexy?" Misaki muttered to herself. This was part one of her plan for the day. Thinking back to what the makeup girl had said, she agreed that one sure way to please her perverted husband would be through what she wore. Unfortunately, wearing 'something sexy' was easier said than done, since Misaki had only packed clothes that were appropriate for work. Frowning slightly, she continued "I'll have to work with what I've got. I have to make this day perfect for Takumi!"

Misaki decided to throw on a white sleeveless button-up blouse first, then proceeded to slip on a gray pencil shirt. She buttoned the shirt up half way, leaving most of her chest exposed, and finished her look with a gray skinny belt. Eyeing the bathroom door to make sure Takumi wasn't on his way out, she quickly ran over to the kitchen and popped two pieces of bread in the toaster. She managed to spread some strawberry jam on the slices of toast before she heard the door creak open.

As soon as Takumi opened the door, his eyes grew wide.

"Ready for breakfast, honey?" Misaki asked, blushing slightly when she noticed the shocked, but amused look on his face. She draped her hands around his neck when he didn't respond and kissed his cheek playfully. "Let's eat, shall we?"

"What is going on..." Takumi wondered aloud, grinning like a child, as Misaki dragged him to the kitchen to find two plates of toast set on the table.

"I know it's nothing fancy, but I made us breakfast." Misaki said, seating her husband.

"No, it's perfect. I love anything made by my Misaki" Takumi said, taking a bite. "But what _is_ going on. I mean, I'm not complaining... just curious."

"Well," Misaki began, glancing down at her chest to see how exposed she was. A little too much, she decided, tugging on her shirt a bit to cover more. "I wanted to thank you for yesterday. So today, I've planned a day for _you._ "

"Hmm, alright Misa-chan. I'm ready."

"Don't call me that-" Misaki began before stopping herself and plastering a smile on. "No, actually, you can call me whatever you'd like today."

"If you say so. Nice shirt by the way" Takumi winked.

"Thanks" Misaki mumbled.

* * *

"So, now what?" Takumi asked as they finished their breakfast.

"Now we're going to the grocery store." Misaki replied, taking their plates and utensils over to the sink.

"Hah? What for?"

"I was hoping we could bake something together. Baking is a little easier than cooking, no?" Misaki said, washing the plates.

"Okay."

"If-if you don't want to that's fine" Misaki stammered. "I want you to enjoy today, so it's okay if you want to do something else."

"I thought you said you already planned the day?" Takumi questioned.

"Well- I did, loosely. But if you don't want to bake with me-"

"No, I would love to bake with you. As long as I'm with you, I don't care what we do today."

"Well that makes it sound like you don't really want to!"

"You're confusing yourself. Let's just go to the store" Takumi chuckled, taking his wife's hand and leading her to the door.

"Even after all these years you still manage to cause me confusion, you know?" Misaki sighed as she slipped on a pair of heels. When she turned to open the door, however, she found that her way was blocked. "Takumi? You're standing in the way."

"You think I'm going to let you walk out like that?" Takumi arched an eyebrow as he looked down at her chest. Misaki blushed.

"What?! I thought you liked it!" Misaki exclaimed, raising her hands to cover where his eyes were focused.

"I do like it, very much, but I don't want anyone else to see my Misaki-chan like this" he replied, reaching to button her shirt up.

When he finished the last button, he directed his eyes to hers. "Perfect" He grinned, pressing his lips to his wife's. They headed out the door, and after a short walk they arrived at the grocery store.

"Alright, so what are we baking?" Takumi asked as they walked in.

"That's up to you" Misaki said, leading him inside and picking up a basket. "Cake? Brownies? Cookies?"

"Let's do cupcakes" Takumi replied, dropping a bag of flour into the basket. "That way you'll get multiple tries at decorating them."

"That makes sense" Misaki agreed, grabbing a bag of sugar.

"When's the last time we baked together?" Takumi wondered as he reached for a bottle of vegetable oil.

Misaki thought for a moment. She could remember the last time they cooked- they had been making chicken lasagna. Misaki attempting to cut the chicken is what had caused her to almost cut off her husband's hand. However, she couldn't remember the last time they had baked together. They were both pretty healthy people, so they didn't eat sweets often. They only had cake on special occasions, and even then it was always either store-bought, or made by Takumi alone.

"I don't know. We rarely bake together" She said. "Wait- now I remember! It was those cookies we made when Mom came to visit."

"Ahh, right. You added an extra half-cup of salt, remember?" Takumi chuckled. "We had to warn your Mother before eating since you insisted it would be too wasteful to dump them."

"They didn't taste that bad, honestly" Misaki frowned. "Just a little salty."

Takumi led her around the store so they could get all the ingredients they needed. After buying everything, they made their way back to the hotel, grocery bags in hand.

* * *

"Is looking at your phone part of today's schedule?" Takumi asked playfully, since his wife had whipped out her phone after placing the bags down and was focused on whatever was on its screen.

"What? Oh-" Misaki glanced up from the list of restaurants she was scrolling through. "Uh, it's Haruto, my coworker" she lied.

"Even on your day off, you're still worried about work, huh?" Takumi sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'll be done in a sec. Can you start taking out the ingredients?" Misaki asked without looking up from the screen.

"Can I unbutton your shirt again?"

"Geez, could you at least wait until I'm finished?" Misaki muttered, blushing slightly.

"So, is that a yes?" Takumi grinned.

On a normal day, Misaki probably would have slapped him for asking such a question. However, Misaki wanted to make this day amazing as thanks for their anniversary yesterday. So, as much as it annoyed her, she had already decided that she was going to try not to get mad at his comments for today. Biting her tongue to keep from spitting out an insult, she put down her phone and looked at him, her cheeks flushed.

"Go ahead, perv." She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

Without responding, her husband unbuttoned the first four buttons on her shirt with a boyish grin.

"Okay, can we start now?" Misaki looked away to hide her embarrassment.

"Of course, my lady."

And so they got to work on their cupcakes. When they realized they had no measuring cups, they laughed it off and used the wine glasses and plastic spoons instead. When Misaki mistook the sugar for salt, Takumi noted that their cupcakes would just be extra sweet. When she managed to scoop out all of the batter into the cupcake tin without spilling any, he pulled her in for a hug with a proud look on his face. When the cupcakes had been placed in the oven, he began his 'Misa-chan' jokes again.

When Misaki had gotten tired of the teasing, she dipped a plastic spoon into the bag of flour and flicked it at Takumi. He responded by reaching in with his hand and throwing a handful straight at her. This led to a full-on battle, resulting in an egg cracked over Takumi's head and Misaki coughing up flour, among other things. They both ended up on the floor- Misaki had slipped on some vegetable oil and dragged Takumi down with her- but despite the mess they had made, and their ruined clothes, they were both in tears from laughing so hard.

"You're an idiot, Usui!" Misaki laughed, attempting to wipe some butter off her blouse.

" _You're_ an idiot, Usui" Takumi laughed back, brushing some flour off his shirt.

"Well I supposed we're both idiot Usuis." Misaki giggled, picking pieces of eggshell out of her husband's hair. When Takumi leaned in to kiss her, Misaki pulled back. "Ew! I'm not kissing you, you've got salt all over your lips!"

"Actually this is sugar, Misa-chan. it's sweet." Takumi leaned in once again, and this time Misaki made no effort to refuse.

"Oh, well in that case..." Misaki smiled as their lips met.

* * *

ding!

"Oh! The cupcakes are done!" Misaki exclaimed, pulling herself off of Takumi. They had gotten a little carried away after ending up on the floor, and one thing had led to another, leaving them both shirtless.

"Aw, we didn't get to the fun part" Takumi pouted as Misaki got up.

"Hey, are you telling me you didn't enjoy kissing?" Misaki asked with a frown, walking behind him to get to the oven. In place of an oven mitt she used a small towel and reached into the oven to grab the cupcake tin.

"No, but what's even more fun than kissing is the part that comes next. You know, the part where we have s-"

"I know I know!" Misaki blurted out loudly in embarrassment. "Ow! Shit!" She yelped- she had accidentally jerked her hand straight into contact with burning metal.

"What's wrong?" Takumi asked, turning around suddenly. She turned to face him with a glare and held up her right hand. The side of it was all red from where it had touched the metal.

"This is your fault, idiot!" She ran to the sink to run her hand under cold water. Her sudden flare of anger had caught him off guard, but he quickly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had your hands in the oven, or I wouldn't have said anything." Takumi apologized, leaning down to kiss her cheek gently.

"Whatever, I guess it's not all your fault" Misaki sighed. "It's not burned that badly either."

"I can run to the convenience store and buy a bandage" Takumi said. With out waiting for her to respond, he let go of her and rushed to the door.

"Wait!" She yelled. He stopped.

"What's the matter?"

"Uh... you don't have a shirt on and you're drenched in everything we put in those cupcakes" Misaki said, looking him up and down.

"I supposed you're right" Takumi realized. "Well, I'll hop in the shower for a minute, then go to the store, okay?"

"Okay" Misaki smiled. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, sweetheart." He flashed a toothy smile before heading into the bathroom.

* * *

When Takumi had left the hotel room, Misaki turned off the water and went to grab her phone. She had been planning to lie to Takumi later, saying she had to take a 'business call' to get some time away from him and make reservations for dinner, but this had given her some alone time with out even needing to lie!

 _"Hello, this is Golden Rose Restaurant, how may I help you?"_

"Hi, I was wondering if it was possible to reserve a table for two for tonight? Are there any open times?"

 _"Actually, we had a couple cancel an hour ago, so we do have a table open at 8, if that works for you."_

"Yes, thank you! I suppose I'll reserve it then."

 _"Alright, name please?"_

"Misaki Usui, U-S-U-I."

 _"Thank you very much! We will see you at 8!"_

"Thanks!" Misaki replied happily, before putting her phone back down. She smiled at the thought of how lucky she was. She had looked up that whole list of restaurants earlier, since she figured it would be hard to reserve a table the day of, but the first one she called had an open spot!

She then decided to hop in the shower, since she was still covered in the remnants of their food battle. After she was done, she slipped into a change of clothes- some sweatpants and a tank top- and headed to the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess.

"You shouldn't be cleaning by yourself. How's your hand?" Takumi asked when he walked in.

"It stings a little, but I'm fine" Misaki said, though she winced when her husband took her hand.

"You always act so tough, Misaki" he chuckled as he wrapped her hand.

"Hey! It's not acting, I _am_ tough" she huffed, looking away.

"Well, anyways, I'll help you finish cleaning the kitchen, and then we'll decorate the cupcakes, alright?" Takumi smiled, picking up a towel. She nodded in agreement, and so they cleaned up, then headed to the cupcake tin.

"How about I start?" Takumi said, picking up a tube of vanilla frosting. Misaki observed closely as he gently directed the tube around the little cupcake, starting first with the layer of vanilla, then creating a flower design with purple icing. Of course, it looked perfect. "Alright, your turn. Just do your best" Takumi taunted his wife.

"Shut up! Mine will look better" she snapped.

With shaking hands, she took the tube of vanilla frosting in her hands. _I can do this, I can do this_ she thought to herself. When she had managed to cover the top, she pulled back, proud of her work. It didn't look that bad so far! Next, she picked up the smaller, thinner tube of purple icing. This would be the tricky part- the actual design. Mimicking Takumi's technique, she slowly moved her hands in a spiral motion. However, she accidentally squeezed the tube too much when she was half way through- causing a glob of purple to spurt out and ruin the flower. "Damn it!" she cursed. Her anger only rose when she heard a snicker coming from beside her. "Don't laugh at me!" She yelled, smacking his arm.

"Let's just try again, okay?" Takumi said, trying to cover up his laugh while looking at the purple blob.

Taking another cupcake from the tin, Misaki grabbed the vanilla tube once again and began with the base. This part she could do pretty well, since it was just a flat layer of frosting. Then, she took up the purple tube and carefully began making a flower once again. This time, she was able to maintain a fairly even amount of pressure on the tube, and managed to finish the flower. "Ha! Easy." Misaki smiled.

Takumi looked at the finished cupcake. The vanilla layer was uneven, much different from the smooth layer he had applied. The purple flower was shaky- but at least it was recognizable. "Nice work, my little maid" he grinned, rubbing her head softly. "It looks delicious."

They finished the rest of the cupcakes with the same design. While Takumi's half looked ready to be presented at a formal event, Misaki's were uneven and sloppy. Nonetheless, they turned out better than Takumi had been expecting. She had messed up a few, but the majority were well done, for her standards.

"I'm impressed, Misaki" Takumi said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks!" Misaki beamed. She set them all neatly on a tray. "Let's bring them to the table to eat- ahh!" She had only taken a few steps before she felt her foot slip. It seemed they hadn't managed to clean all the oil off the floor. She braced herself for the impact that never came- Takumi had caught her before she hit the floor.

"Are you alright?" Takumi asked her, helping her back on her feet.

"Yeah, thanks" Misaki sighed. "Wait- the cupcakes!" She looked down at the floor to see that the cupcakes hadn't been saved from the fall. Just her luck- the tin had flipped upside down, allowing all of them to press icing-first into the tile floor.

He looked down. "Oh. That's unfortunate" He noted, bending down to pick up the tin. "Well, we can still eat them if you want- the floor's clean. They're a little squashed and they've lost some icing, but other than that, they'll still taste just as good."

Misaki bent down to help. "Yeah, I guess we can still eat them."

She sighed once again- so far this day was not going well. Not only had she burned her hand, but she had also just ruined the cupcakes they had worked so hard on. _I just wanted this day to be perfect, like yesterday_ Misaki thought to herself. _Well, it's only lunch now._ _I've still got the rest of the day to make it up to him._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Things Went Wrong, But It's Alright**

"Misaki, I promise I'm not mad at you for dropping the cupcakes" Takumi said, grabbing a chunk of cupcake to eat. "It tastes just as good either way."

Misaki frowned as she looked at the plate of cupcakes that sat between them. Well, they couldn't really be called cupcakes anymore- they were actually just chunks of cake mix and frosting at this point. She grabbed a crumb from the plate and ate it sheepishly.

"Are you sure you're not mad? I kind of messed up everything" she said softly.

"No, you didn't" he replied honestly. "So far I'm really enjoying my day with Misa-chan!"

"But-mmph!" Misaki began to protest, before Takumi shoved a chunk of cupcake into her mouth.

"You look so adorable right now" Takumi chuckled at the sight of his flustered wife. "Come on, let's just go get some lunch."

Misaki finished swallowing the cupcake and let out a long sigh, mentally reminding herself of her goal to make her husband as happy as possible today. That couldn't be done if she continued to feel upset about the cupcakes, so she ought to just move on and make the rest of the day perfect. "Alright, let me go change out of these sweatpants first."

After she had slipped on a pair of black pants, she threw a thin black cardigan on over her pale blue tank top. Once she had her shoes on and her purse over her shoulder, Takumi followed her out of the hotel room and into the elevator.

"So, where do you want to go for lunch?" Takumi asked, taking her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.

"Don't worry about it, I told you I had plan right?" Misaki responded. "There's this really nice cafe a few blocks down I went to a few days ago."

"Alright my lady, lead the way" Takumi smiled, planting a kiss on her head.

* * *

It was a simple, very pleasant cafe. Nothing like the fancy one Takumi had brought them to yesterday for breakfast, but it had a calming, authentic atmosphere that they both enjoyed. They chatted about this and that over lunch- a Greek Salad for Misaki and a bowl of Chicken Alfredo for Takumi- for well over an hour. As they exited the cafe, Takumi was led by Misaki down a block, then a left turn, then another block.

"You seem to be taking me somewhere now- the hotel is the other way" Takumi observed aloud.

"Yup" Misaki replied, pulling him into an upscale clothing store.

"Uh, why are we here?" Takumi questioned with a puzzled look. "Did shopping recently become a hobby of yours?"

"No... I need a dress for the party that will be held at the end of the convention in three days. And, I figured since you plan on staying in New York with me, you could buy a nice outfit too" Misaki responded nonchalantly, looking out into the racks of clothes. She knew she couldn't look into his eyes when she spoke, or he would realize she was lying. She rarely lied to her husband, partly because he could usually see through her lies, but she didn't want to spoil the surprise now. The truth was she already had a dress for the party, but they needed clothes for their dinner tonight.

"Alright Misa-chan, but don't pick a dress that's too sexy, I can't have all the men at the party staring at my gorgeous wife" Takumi said in a low voice, snaking his arms around her waist.

"Let go of me, we're in public" Misaki scolded, lifting his arms off of her waist and turning away to hide her blush. "Besides, it's a work related event. No one will be dressed 'sexy,' and especially not me" she said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe not intentionally, but you look sexy in any dress you wear." Takumi smirked when she rose a hand to cover her reddened face.

"W-Whatever, you pervert" Misaki stuttered, rushing to a rack of dresses and letting out a huge sigh to try and calm down. She began to sift through different lengths, colors, and styles of dresses. "What do you think of this one?" she questioned after a little while, pulling out a knee-length, dark brown dress.

"I think you look beautiful in anything" her husband responded.

"That doesn't help, Takumi" she said, looking it over again. "You know I'm not good with fashion."

"Fine, fine, then what about this one?" Takumi suggested, holding up an auburn, floor length gown.

"Oh, that's nice" Misaki observed, a look of approval on her face. "How much?"

"Um" Takumi searched for the tag. "$2,000."

"What?!" Misaki exclaimed incredulously. "That's crazy, I'm not paying that much for a dress! Can you try to find one closer to $200?"

"We can afford it..." Takumi countered.

"But why waste money on a dress when we could save it for something more important?" Misaki explained. It was true that they could afford it- after all, a diplomat and a doctor both earned hefty paychecks. However, Misaki would never forget her past, despite their current wealth. Having grown up poor, she had learned to cherish what she earned, so she didn't spend her money unnecessarily.

After searching for another hour, they finally left the store with a suit for Takumi and a dress for Misaki.

* * *

Instead of heading straight back to the hotel, the two decided to see the city and roam around. They enjoyed ice cream by Rockefeller Center and took pictures in Times Square. Their tourist adventure was cut short, however, when rain began to fall. Not wanting the new clothes to get wet, they hailed a cab quickly and headed back. By the time they got to their room, it was a little past five.

"What's next on the list?" Takumi asked his wife as they entered the hotel room.

"Uh..." Misaki trailed off. She hadn't thought of what to do in between the clothes shopping and dinner, since she had figured they would spend the rest of the day in the city. "We... we're going to...watch a movie!" She decided, heading to the TV and grabbing the remote.

"Oh? What movie?" Takumi smirked, knowing this definitely wasn't on the original 'list'.

"Um, you'll see" she said, flipping through channels. When she finally found a decent movie, the two sat together on the bed to watch. It was some old American film, and not a particularly good one in their opinion. They mostly spent the time joking about the film. When it was over, it was nearing 7:30pm.

"So do you have a plan for dinner? It's getting late." Takumi asked.

"Of course I do!" Misaki responded, getting up out of bed. "Wait here" she instructed, getting up. She picked up the bag with the dress she had purchased earlier and entered the bathroom to change. It was a knee-length, navy blue sheath dress with some light grey detailing down both sides. She slipped on the dress, then pulled her shoulder-length hair into a low bun and applied some light makeup before walking back out to where her husband sat.

"Wow, Misa-chan looks very elegant" Takumi said, stunned by his wife's beauty. "But I don't get it, why are you all dressed up now?"

"Go change into that suit you bought earlier and I'll tell you" she replied.

"Is this part of the plan?" He asked with a smirk.

"I'm not revealing anything to you, just change" she said, grabbing the bag with his outfit and throwing it to him. Although she had seen it when he'd picked it out earlier, she still marveled at how good he looked when he exited the bathroom. He wore a light grey suit over a white button-up shirt and a navy blue tie; the grey and blue color scheme matched her dress.

"You look even better than I expected..." she mumbled to herself, still staring at her gorgeous husband.

"What was that, my lovely wife?" Takumi grinned upon hearing her muttering.

"Huh? Oh, I didn't say anything!" She said quickly, running to the table by the door to grab her purse and stepping into a pair of heels. "We're going out now."

"Ah, is that why we're dressed up now? Where are we headed? It must be some place fancy."

"You'll find out soon enough" she answered vaguely with a smile, exiting the door.

* * *

"Ah, it's nice that the rain stopped," Misaki noted as they got into the cab and she gave the driver an address. Turning to Takumi, she said, "don't ask me anything, I won't tell you." To her surprise he didn't ask questions, that is until the taxi pulled up to the Golden Rose Restaurant.

Takumi's eyes widened. "Is this where we're having dinner?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the undoubtedly high-class restaurant.

"You guessed it" Misaki teased, proud that she had managed to shock her husband. She took his hand and led him inside.

"Hello, Ma'am. Name please?" The man at the front asked.

"Misaki Usui. I reserved a table for two at 8" She told the man, glancing at the clock that read 7:58pm.

He looked down at the reservations book, flipped through a few pages, then frowned. He flipped through a second time before looking back up at the couple in front of him, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I see no record of a Misaki Usui reserving a table at our restaurant tonight."

"What?" Misaki asked, slightly irritated. "There must be a mistake, I called earlier today and was told that a couple had canceled, opening up a spot."

"I suppose I can go check in back at the phones if you'd like."

"Yes, please" Misaki sighed. "I called around 11 in the morning, if that helps."

When the man had left, Takumi turned to his wife with a smirk. "What is this, the mystery of the phantom phone call?"

"It's not funny!" Misaki huffed.

"Also, when did you have time to call this place? Oh, must have been after you burned your hand. How clever."

Misaki was about to retort when the man returned. "I believe there has been a bit of confusion regarding your booking earlier" he began, rather nervously due to Misaki's annoyed expression. "It seems that right after you called, the couple that had cancelled before called back to restore their reservation."

"And no one had the decency to call me back and tell me this hours ago?" Misaki raised her voice slightly, her agitation growing. "That's fine if they reclaimed their table, but I could have been notified so I didn't have to waste mine and my husband's time coming here."

"Misaki, it's alright, we'll just go somewhere else" Takumi said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder after noticing her rising temper.

"No, it's not alright! What kind of crappy service is this?" Misaki all but yelled at the man, who was sweating profusely by now. She slammed a fist on the desk for emphasis, instantly regretting this decision when a sharp pain shot to her hand. "Damn it!" She cursed loudly, realizing she had just slammed her burned hand down.

"I-I'm terribly sorry Ma'am, uh..." the man stuttered, flipping through his book rapidly, "we can offer you and your husband a free meal in three days, since that's our next open spot."

"No thank you, I don't think I'll be coming back!" Misaki spat out, rubbing her burned hand furiously, before turning around and storming out. Takumi followed behind her quickly.

"Misaki, is your hand okay?" Takumi asked, trailing swiftly behind her as she walked hurriedly down the street. As Misaki entered Central Park, making her way to a bridge, a light rain began to fall.

"No! Everything is ruined!" She yelled, quickening her pace as best she could in heels. He caught up to her on the bridge, reaching out and grabbing her non-burned hand.

"Misaki" Takumi said gently, blinking water out of his eyes as the rain began to pour down. She turned around, glancing up at him before focusing her eyes on the ground.

"I just wanted you to know that...that I love you" Misaki blurted, unsure of how to phrase exactly what she wanted to say.

"What do you mean? I'm not upset about the restaurant, Misaki" Takumi said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the downpour.

"No... I mean, I really love you. You're the most important person in my life, and I would do anything for you. I'm so grateful to have the most considerate, thoughtful, kind, and loving husband I, or anyone, could ever ask for" Misaki said, meeting his gaze and feeling her eyes start to tear up. _Am I about to cry? Great, how embarrassing!_ She thought; she rarely cried. _No, it's just the rain,_ she lied to herself.

"It's just...you put so much effort into making yesterday great, and you're always doing things to make me happy. You still tease me too, but I know it's all just for fun." Misaki began to speed up as she felt tears escape her eyes and her cheeks heat up, despite the cold rain. She could also feel her voice getting louder as her frustration grew "I wanted this day to be perfect, to plan a day for you the way you planned one for me, but everything went wrong. First, I dropped the cupcakes that we worked so hard on, then I burned my hand, and then I messed up our dinner. Plus, this stupid rain's already ruined our clothes, what a waste of money!"

"Misaki," Takumi interrupted, worried. "Calm down, it's-"

"No, it's not okay! I never do anything for you!" She exclaimed, getting even louder. "I just want to show you that I care about you, but how am I supposed to do that when I can't even plan a nice day for you without screwing everything up! I'm sorry I forgot about our anniversary in the first place. I'm sorry that I ruined our day today. I'm sorry I don't tell you I love you enough. I'm sorry that... I'm sorry that..." she tried to continue, but instead broke out into a sob. Takumi pulled her in for a hug, wrapping himself tightly around her trembling frame.

"Please, calm down" Takumi said softly, not need to raise his voice over the downpour when they were this close. "Don't be sorry for anything, Misaki."

They stood there, Takumi wrapped around his wife, for a minute, allowing her to calm down.

Pulling apart from the hug, Takumi cupped her chin with his hands and wiped a mixture of rainwater, tears, and runny makeup from her face with his thumbs. "Misaki, you know how much I love you, but I know how much you love me too. We've been together for over 10 years, so you don't need to prove anything to me." The two starred into each other's eyes as Takumi continued. "I show my love for you by doing things like what I did yesterday because I want to. I'm not trying to set some level of expectation for you to meet at all. The way you show your love is different, but not in any way less important. You show me this cute, emotional side of you that you don't show to anyone else. You trust me enough to be yourself completely, and you're always there for me. That's all you need to do, and that's all I could ever ask for."

He squeezed her tightly and continued on. "Besides, I really enjoyed today. I thought that teaching you to make those cupcakes was fun, and I don't care that you dropped them because they still tasted delicious. I told you before, but as long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter what we do. Just spending time with my wife makes me the happiest man in the world. Being with you is the best anniversary gift you can give me."

"Thank you, Takumi" Misaki whispered, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.

* * *

The first thing Misaki noticed when she woke up was the sizzling noise coming from the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes, she reached over to check the time on her phone. 8:04 am. She rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, where her husband was stood with his back to her, facing the stove.

"Good morning my love, I'm almost done making breakfast so you can sit at the table if you want" Takumi said. After a minute, he brought two plates over to where she was sitting.

"Omlette, yum" Misaki said, taking a plate from his hands.

Takumi leaned over and placed a light kiss on his wife's mouth before taking a bite. "What do you think, better or worse than last night's pizza?"

"Well, maybe I'm biased, but everything you cook is delicious" she responded with a smile. He chuckled as they began to recount the details of last night's dinner situation. After the incident on the bridge, they had ended up eating pizza for dinner. They must have looked crazy to everyone else eating there, a well-dressed and undoubtedly rich couple soaking wet and eating pizza at a greasy fast food place. The cashier had even looked a little scared when Misaki had gone up to order, dripping water onto the floor and rubbing some runny makeup out of her eyes.

"I think the cashier thought you were going to attack her or something with the way you were scowling at her" Takumi laughed.

"I was only frowning a little, and that was because my hand still hurt" she said, smacking his arm playfully. "Anyways, unfortunately you're going to have to find something else to keep yourself busy today, because I have work. Luckily my first meeting isn't until 11:00, so I've got 2 hours before I need to leave."

"Want to skip another day?"

Misaki rolled her eyes at that. "Takumi! I love you, but I'm not skipping the whole damn conference for you."

"Ah, so stubborn. But, I understand. I hope you enjoy your work today then" Takumi sighed.

"I will" Misaki smiled.

"I don't know what I'm going to do while you're at work... I guess I'll just sit here and think about how much I miss you until you come back" Takumi sighed again.

"N-no, don't say that" Misaki stuttered awkwardly when she noticed his piercing emerald eyes staring intensely at her. "What are you looking at me like that for anyways?"

"I was just thinking, I have 2 hours with you before you go, so I shouldn't waste a second right?" Takumi said plainly.

"What? I don't get-" Misaki's sentence was cut off by a pair of lips. She felt her husband's hands cup her cheeks gently as she leaned in.

Takumi broke the kiss so they could get up- they had been leaning over the kitchen table- and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you" he breathed before his mouth captured hers once again.

"I love you too."

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
